Fact of the day

Information is the most powerful weapon.

Monday

Fact N°
2392

Women are more likely to remember men with a deep voice.

A study published in Memory & Cognition tested women's ability to remember images of objects while also hearing the objects' names in high-pitched or low-pitched male or female voices. Low-pitched male voices were the most effective of the combinations in enhancing memory. The women were also asked which of the voices they liked most, and they largely admitted to preferring the deep male voice. Researchers propose that women are evolutionarily inclined to remember things they associate with desirable men, and that vocal pitch can indicate everything from genetic fitness to social behavior.

Tuesday

Fact N°
2393

Physicists may have monitored particles moving faster than light -- a discovery that would revolutionize physics.

On September 22nd, physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research announced that they had detected neutrinos traveling faster than light (60 nanoseconds faster, over a 450-mile stretch). It's possible that the results are flawed; the researchers have to make atmospheric corrections, as light travels slower in our atmosphere than it does in a vacuum, and their error estimates may have been inaccurate. However, if their findings hold up, the very basis of Einstein's theory of relativity would be challenged.

Wednesday

Fact N°
2394

Kids who play in green environments have less severe ADHD.

University of Illinois researchers studied 400 children with ADHD. They found that even among groups of children who all played outdoors, ADHD symptoms were milder when the children's outdoor setting was an open, green, natural environment (as opposed to outdoor structures, or less open spaces like heavily-forested settings). Even exposure to pictures of green settings appears to have a positive effect.

Thursday

Fact N°
2395

People without siblings are more likely to have successful careers.

According to a CareerBuilder survey of 5,708 American workers, an only child is more likely to earn a six-figure salary and more likely to have a corporate title than someone with siblings. Only children also tend toward positions in engineering, law enforcement and information technology. However, people who do have siblings are more likely to be happy at their jobs. Among workers with brothers and sisters, first-born children are the most likely to earn six figures, while middle children are the most likely to earn sub-$35,000 salaries.

Friday

Fact N°
2396

The oldest car in the world is being put up for auction in Pennsylvania.

On October 6th, auction house RM Auctions will receive bids on Lot 259, the 1884 De Dion Bouton Et Trepardoux Dos-A-Dos Steam Runabout. The 2,100-pound vehicle, technically a "quadricycle," is the oldest running motor car in the world. It's powered by coal and a tank of water, can reach speeds of 38 mph and participated in the first-ever automobile race in the world (although, in fairness, there was only one entrant into the race, and it was this vehicle). The Runabout is expected to auction for between $2 million and $2.5 million.

Saturday

Fact N°
2397

You're likely to resemble your friends.

Researchers at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada organized four studies of fraternization behaviors. They found that people choose to associate with strangers based on physically obvious similarities (race, sex), as well as some less-obvious similarities (eye color, hair length and even glasses-wearing). The researchers concluded that these tendencies have measurable macro-level effects: people feel more comfortable around people with similar traits, making them more likely to bond over time with similar people, and eventually leading to similarities in social groups.

Sunday

Fact N°
2398

Men are less prone to nightmares than women.

According to a study from the University of the West of England, changes in female body temperature, caused by their monthly cycle, are at the root of particularly colorful dreams. Overall, they are significantly more prone to nightmares, with 30% of women reporting them compared to only 19% of men. Women are also more likely to remember dreams than men are, either because they're more likely to consider them significant, or because they're more likely to mention them afterwards, reinforcing memory of the dream.